


Maternal Acquaintance

by greendalecoolcat



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kid Fic, Motherhood, Post Season 6, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 11:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17745209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendalecoolcat/pseuds/greendalecoolcat
Summary: Jeff and Annie run into someone from Annie's past.





	Maternal Acquaintance

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is about all kinds of love.

 

“What should we make for dinner with your mom?” Annie asked as she dropped a box of animal crackers into their shopping cart before looping her arm with Jeff’s.

“I don’t know. She loves anything you make, you know that,” he leaned on the shopping cart as they continued to stroll down the aisle.

She smiled, “I know, but it’s been a while since she’s been over. I want it to be special.”

“When gramma coming over?” Their adorable three-and-a-half year old daughter, Ava, sat in the cart in front of them, holding her favorite stuffed giraffe that Jeff and Annie bought for her after her first trip to the Denver Zoo.

“On Saturday night, sweetie,” Annie answered, brushing back Ava’s curly hair.

“Yay yay yay yay!” She squealed and Jeff chuckled at his daughter. She radiated joy wherever she went.

“She really loved your spinach and ricotta linguine you made for her birthday,” he said, answering Annie’s question from before.

“Oh! That’s a good idea, we’ll do that!” She then looked at him with wide eyes and a teasing smile, “Will you survive all the carbs? Am I gonna have to make you something special? Maybe you can have some of Ava’s chicken nuggets.”

 “I’ll be fine,” he squinted at her. “Don’t you think the carb jokes are getting kind of old?”

“Not as old as you,” she leaned up to kiss his cheek before she fluttered over to the pasta section. Ignoring his daughter’s laughter, Jeff stood there, completely shocked at Annie’s quick and delightfully cruel wit. He absolutely loved it. Even after years of friendship, three amazing years of dating, and four years of marriage, he didn’t think he’d ever stop being surprised by her.

“Your mother is a cruel woman,” he said to Ava, knowing Annie could hear him perfectly well.

“No, daddy. Mommy is funny.”

Annie laughed herself and looked at Jeff over their daughter’s head. There was a gleam in her eye and he knew that she was just as happy as he was. He couldn’t believe how lucky they were to have such a life with their daughter. “Thank you, sweetie. Mommy _is_ funny!”

Ava nodded enthusiastically.

Jeff leaned down until he was eye level with Ava. She was smiling as she clutched her toy. “You know, daddy can be funny too.”

“Mommy funnier, daddy.”

He heard Annie laugh again as she inspected different brands of boxed pasta, but he decided not to push the issue further. “You’re too cute to argue with,” he said right before kissing her nose.

Just as Annie placed two boxes in the cart, someone neared them in the aisle which was a common occurrence at such a busy time of day, but as soon as Annie turned around and startled, Jeff realized that it just wasn’t any person.

“Mom,” Annie said shakily.

The woman before them seemed just as shocked, shaken to her core. Like she’d seen a ghost. She was about Annie’s height, maybe an inch or two taller, and she had dark wavy hair, and wide blue eyes. She dressed well, a conservative and put together woman. There were wrinkles around her eyes and barely pronounced frown lines beside her mouth.

“Annie,” she blinked.

“Mom, I…I didn’t…You’re in Denver,” she settled on.

Her mom seemed to take a moment to pull herself together before standing a little taller and fiddling with the basket she was holding. “Yes, my doctor’s office is here. I was in the area.”

“Oh,” Annie nodded.

Jeff was unnerved by the interaction. There was no warmth. He realized that Annie was inwardly spinning out, something he took notice of after years of being together. He glanced at his daughter and wasn’t surprised that even she could feel the tension. The smile fell from her face and she clutched her giraffe even closer. She was always shy around strangers anyway. The silence was deafening, and he was about to say something when Annie realized that he was still behind her, with their _daughter_.

“Oh! Um. Mom,” she began, reaching for Jeff to step beside her. “This is my husband, Jeff. Jeff, this is my mother, Victoria”

He quickly looked at Annie, trying to read her eyes before leaning forward to shake her mother’s hand. “It’s good to meet you,” he said cordially.

She took his hand, almost hesitantly. “Likewise,” was all she said. She then peeked behind their shoulders. With wide eyes, she asked, “Is that…?”

Annie nodded, unable to make eye contact with the woman. Both Jeff and Annie stepped aside, parting the way for Victoria to get a better look at their child. “Yes. Mom, this is our daughter, Ava.”

Annie’s mother stiffened and nodded curtly. She fiddled with the collar of her coat out of clear discomfort. “My oh my. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Annie almost whispered.

Jeff wanted so badly to hug her, to make what she was feeling go away. This whole situation was uncomfortable and unnatural. Annie hadn’t talked to her mother in thirteen years.

“Ava,” Jeff said evenly. “Can you say hi?”

In a small voice, she did as he asked and looked up at the woman who was apparently the grandmother she’d never met. “Hi.”

Victoria seemed to have _almost_ melted, letting a smile threaten the corners of her mouth. But before she let that happen, she snapped out of it and cleared her throat. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” Jeff could have sworn her eyes filled with tears before she quickly let out a sharp breath.

“Well, I really must be going.” She looked at Annie, who finally had the courage to look her mother in the eye again. “Annie, I’m glad you are doing well.” Then she looked to Jeff, “It was nice to meet you. Take care, all of you.”

And with that, she was on her way, not even glancing at them as she walked past.

Jeff immediately turned to Annie, and he saw so much hurt in her expression as she watched her mother walk away. He reached out to rub her shoulder and then slowly brought her in for a hug. She fell easily into him and he held her before placing a kiss on her temple.

“Mommy okay?”

They pulled out of the embrace and Annie wiped at her eye, smiling at her daughter and nodding. “Yes,” she breathed. “Mommy is okay,” she rubbed her daughter’s back before pulling out the shopping list again. Jeff realized she wasn’t going to talk about it in front of Ava, and in the middle of the damn grocery store, which he understood. But the way she pulled herself together and soldiered on was eerily similar to what he had just seen from her mother.

“Do you wanna go home?” Jeff asked quietly, but she shook her head.

“Come on, we’re almost done. Ava, do you want to pick out some cereal? Anything you want.”

Their daughter squealed and bounced in her seat. Jeff sighed, watching his wife, and wishing there was more he could do in the moment. But he knew it wasn’t the time, so he followed Annie and gave an exaggerated nod to his happy daughter.

She was lucky, he thought, that she would never have to go through what Annie went through with her own mother.

The rest of the shopping trip went smoothly, and they fell back into their usual family chatter. Annie was, however, more quiet than usual, but she attempted to keep a smile on her face and contribute for the sake of Ava. But when they reached checkout, Jeff could see his wife’s hands shaking as she transferred items onto the conveyor belt.

When they reached the Lexus, Jeff strapped Ava in her car seat as Annie put the remaining groceries in the trunk.

“Thank you, daddy,” Ava said after he placed a kiss on her forehead.

“You’re welcome, pancake.” She giggled at the silly nickname he gave her years ago.

The ride home was quiet, and Annie spent most of the time looking out the passenger side window. Jeff didn’t want to push her to talk just yet, so he put the radio on softly because he knew his girls liked to sing along sometimes. He figured Annie wouldn’t want to this time around though.

When they got home, Jeff carried Ava inside and helped Annie bring in the rest of the grocery bags. She seemed exhausted, and he wondered when she would want to discuss the moment that transpired just forty minutes ago.

Ava was already playing with her toys by the time the groceries were put away, and Jeff was about to open his mouth when Annie turned to him tiredly. “You think you could get started on dinner? I just need to…,” she gestured in the direction of their bedroom. Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. He barely even nodded before he watched her disappear out of the kitchen.

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. Okay, he would give her space. For a little while at least, and then he would check on her.

Jeff knew all about Victoria Edison. Annie told him about her childhood with the woman, her teenage years, and her pill addiction. She told him about her time in rehab and her recovery. She told him about the moments when she was so tempted to fall back into the addiction it but refrained. She told him about the moments when she survived on her own even though she really needed someone to take care of her. When she needed her mother to take care of her. And like always, he was amazed at her strength and perseverance, and her ability to overcome her struggles on her own.

Annie missed her mother. In the thirteen years of her absence, despite everything, she missed her. Not always. But Jeff could tell, even when the words weren’t spoken. He knew the feeling. He spent the better part of thirty years wondering about his own father, wondering if he ever thought about him and his mom. Wondering if he regretted leaving. No matter how much resentment there was, it didn’t replace the longing for the love from a parent. A person who is supposed to love you unconditionally.

He had to stop and actually take a moment to collect himself because it was finally hitting him how Annie was currently feeling. What he felt when he saw his father, it was pure fear and anxiety. And what he felt afterwards, after being disappointed and hurt again, it was unforgettable. He didn’t wish the feeling on anyone. But now his wife was experiencing the same thing and it killed him.

He breathed in deeply and pushed himself always from the counter top he was fiercely gripping. He spent the next fifteen minutes preparing their dinner, trying to think of what to say to Annie. What could he say to dull the ache of seeing the woman who abandoned her for thirteen goddamn years? It wasn’t until he put their meal in the oven that he noticed Ava standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Can you read with me?”

He looked towards the direction of the bedroom, knowing he needed to check on Annie. “Uh, daddy can’t right now, okay? Maybe after dinner.”

“Okay. Where’s mommy? She read with me?”

Jeff sighed, and bent down to be more level with her. He ran his fingers through her curls. “Mommy is resting right now. I’m going to go check on her. You think you can watch TV while I do that?”

“Ya, daddy!”

“Okay,” he breathed. Normally, he and Annie didn’t want her watching much TV during the week, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He plopped her on the couch with some toys and put on one of her favorite cartoons. “If you need me, you come get me okay?”

“Okay, daddy,” she answered, already distracted by the show.

When he made his way to his bedroom door, he knocked gently, “Annie? It’s me.”

“Come in,” he already knew she was crying from the shaky sound of her voice.

When he opened the door, she was curled on her side of the bed, sitting with a photo album in her lap, sniffling. “Annie…” His heart broke seeing her like this. He climbed onto the bed and sat next her. He draped an arm around her shoulders and began gently rubbing her arm. They stayed like that for a little while, not saying anything. He watched her flip through the book for a few minutes. It was filled with photos from Ava’s first birthday.

He didn’t want to ask if she was okay, because she clearly wasn’t, but he tried his best to comfort her. “I’m so sorry about what happened today,” he said when he figured it was an okay time to speak.

She let out a small sob and shrugged. Through her tears, she laughed lightly and pointed to a photo of Ava with birthday cake smeared all over her face and hands, “Remember this? She was so happy.”

“Yeah, I remember,” he murmured, a smile in his voice.

“She’s still happy, right?” She asked tearfully.

“Annie, of course she is. She’s the happiest little kid I’ve ever seen,” he answered, squeezing her shoulder.

She nodded and then looked at the far wall. “Did you see the way she looked at her?” She asked with a shaky voice. “Her own granddaughter is a complete stranger to her. It breaks my heart.”

“I know.” Carefully, he asked, “Do you want her to know Ava?”

“No,” she sniffed, and shook her head definitively. “That’s just it. I’m still so mad at her. For abandoning me like she did. Our daughter doesn’t deserve a person like that in her life.”

He nodded, wiping away some of her tears with his thumb.

“But at the same time, I’m just so _sad_ and hurt. Because she missed out on this,” she gestured to the photo album. “On everything.”

“I know she did. But that’s not your fault.”

“She didn’t see her only daughter graduate college. She didn’t see me get married. She doesn’t know you, or anything about you.” She looked at him so sadly. “She missed the birth of her only grandchild. And she has no idea how smart and wonderful our little girl is, or that her favorite color is purple, and her favorite animal is a giraffe. And that when she’s scared at night, she calls for her daddy because he makes her feel safe.” She was crying again when she said, “And she doesn’t know that hearing our daughter’s first word was the happiest day of my life.”

Jeff swallowed thickly, feeling so terrible about the truth Annie was speaking. It was devastating and awful, and something no daughter should ever have to experience. He pulled Annie into him and let her cry against his chest for a little while as he stroked her hair. “I know. And I’m so, so sorry,” he said gently. “But you have people in your life who _were_ there for everything. People who loved you through it all. People who are in Ava’s life and love her to pieces. People who know that she likes to sprinkle marshmallows in her mac and cheese when she thinks no one is looking. People who know that her first word was ‘mama,’ and that she tells everyone she wants to be just like her mommy when she grows up.”

“I know,” she sniffed. She pulled away to look at him with watery eyes. “I do feel lucky. I do. I love our friends, and your mom. You know I love your mom so much. She’s the only grandmother Ava needs.”

“Yeah,” he pushed some hair back behind her ear. “And she has Auntie Shirley, Auntie Britta, Uncle Troy and Uncle Abed...” He kissed her head.

“I know. We’re really lucky to have them.”

He wasn’t dismissing her pain, but he hoped she realized there were people who filled the void of Victoria Edison. “But you’re allowed to be upset. You’re allowed to be angry.”

“I am,” she let a few fresh tears escape. “I am so angry. Because I didn’t deserve it either.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, moving in to hug Jeff tightly. He held her close and felt her warm tears seep into his sweater.

She didn’t deserve it.

After a few more minutes of holding each other, Annie was cried out. Jeff did what he could to sooth her, and he hoped she knew how much he loved her and wanted to be there for her. When she pulled out of his arms, she smiled weakly at him and attempted to dry her cheeks.

“I love you, so much,” he said in a low voice. “You’re an amazing mother.”

She smiled wide, “Thank you, Jeff,” she said. “I love you too.”

“What do you say? You feeling okay for dinner? Because I know someone was asking for you earlier.” He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

She laughed lightly and nodded. She sighed and wiped at her cheeks again, “How do I look? I don’t want her to know I was crying.”

“You’re beautiful,” he kissed her head.

“Jeff…”

“She won’t know,” he reassured her. “Come on,” he climbed off the bed and held out his hand to help her down. She took it and shakily made her way off the bed. She pulled herself together once more, righting her shirt and hair. Before she walked out, he pulled her in for one more hug and just held her. She relaxed into him and they both breathed, taking each other in.

Jeff followed Annie as she made her way out of the bedroom and into the living room where Ava was still seated on the couch. She immediately noticed them enter and her face lit up.

“Mommy rested?”

“Yes, mommy was resting. But I’m _all_ better now,” she lifted her daughter into her arms and smacked kisses all over her face. Ava squealed at the array of affection and Jeff’s heart melted. It was doing a lot of that in the past three and a half years. “Mommy loves you so much,” she said plopping back onto the couch with Ava in her lap.

“Ava love you too,” she then pressed a loud kiss ( _Mwah!_ ) on Annie’s nose.

“Thank you, sweetie,” Annie laughed. “Let’s read a book, huh? Go pick one out!”

Jeff grinned at his wife as Ava rummaged through her little bookshelf. She smiled back gratefully and then pulled her daughter back into her lap when she returned with a book. He excused himself to go check on dinner in the kitchen and when he returned, he found his two girls snuggled together on the couch.

“ _When you aren’t sure, you’ll always find me near. When you are scared, I will be here,_ ” Annie read in a soft voice. “ _For when you are high and when you are low,_ ” she read, “ _I’ll never let you go._ ”

Jeff always knew how lucky he was to have a woman like Annie in his life. He knew it from the moment he met her, wide eyed formidable. He knew she was a force to be reckoned with. She was always special and important to him, but it took time before he knew about the struggles she dealt with. It wasn’t long before he saw inside her heart. A heart that experienced dark chapters and loneliness, but one that was also filled with so much love. Love that she was denied from her own mother. It was love that she spread to everyone in her life because she knew how important it was to feel loved.

And now, he was lucky enough to have this life with Annie. A life with their daughter who they loved endlessly and with everything they had. He was lucky that their daughter would get the love Annie didn’t receive growing up. He was lucky that despite everything, he was capable of giving his family the love that he knew they both deserved.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The book Annie is reading from is "I'll Never Let You Go" by Smirti Prasadan-Halls. :)


End file.
